I was surprised when I got on the scale this morning and saw that, in the last two weeks, I had gained back two of the 27 pounds I had lost during the previous year. I should not have been surprised, as I have been snacking to my heart's content. What was I thinking?!

Losing weight was a goal I set last year when I didn't want to buy size 14 clothes. I was inspired by my friend David and by Allison's friend Jenny, both of whom lost a lot of weight after being urged by their doctors to lose some of their excess. After hearing their methods (calorie counting alone for David, diet and exercise for Jenny), these are the steps I took:

• tested different calorie-counting websites to see which ones would be easiest for me to use;
• signed up for MyPlate on livestrong.com, Lance Armstrong's website;
• increased my exercise routine from twice a week to trying to do something at the gym or outside every day; and
• bought a new scale.

By counting calories and increasing my exercise level, I lost weight steadily for a year - a pound a week in the beginning, and then about two pounds a month. Now that I've lost some of the ground I had gained, clearly it's time to reassess ...

I think one problem is that I was hungry all the time. One thing I've learned over the last year is that when I have the urge to eat, I don't always have to give in to it. But what I've been feeling recently is more than an occasional twinge, and I've been giving in to it. And, as a result, I've stopped tracking my calorie intake - and my weight! I think I just didn't want to know ...

I'm ready to recalibrate everything now. I need to take the following steps:

• reset my activity level on livestrong.com to account for the fact that I am more active now, walking Chewey several times a day and spending many fewer hours at the computer;
• go back to tracking my weight and calorie intake every day; and
• make sure I have healthy snacks in the house.

Here's to better eating!